Boulder is the home rule municipality that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Boulder County, and the 11th most populous municipality in the U.S. state of Colorado. Boulder is located at the base of the foothills of the Rocky Mountains at an elevation of 5430ft above sea level. The city is 25mi northwest of Denver.The population of the City of Boulder was 97,385 people at the 2010 United States Census, while the population of the Boulder, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area was 294,567.Boulder is famous for its colorful Western history, being a choice destination for hippies in the late 1960s, and as home of the main campus of the University of Colorado, the state's largest university. Furthermore, the city of Boulder frequently receives high rankings in health, well-being, quality of life, education and art.HistoryOn November 7, 1861, legislation was passed making way for the state university to be located in Boulder, and on September 20, 1875, the first cornerstone was laid for the first building on the C.U. campus. The university officially opened on September 5, 1877.